Sabrina Bryant Gets Bounced from “Dancing with the Stars”

In a surprising turn of events, one of the two women that most people had slated for television’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale – – Sabrina Bryant – – was sent packing last night. Virtually everyone on hand in the ballroom automatically assumed that her cohort in the bottom two – – Cameron Mathison – – would be the one leaving. When Sabrina’s name was called, she was visibly shaken and you couldn’t hear a pin drop in the huge ABC auditorium.

This season’s DWTS has been an exercise in surprises and inconsistencies that has kept both the judges and the stars off balance from the very beginning. However, this week’s strange outcome has everyone scratching their heads in major confusion.

Last week Jane Seymour inexplicably ended up in the bottom two after delivering a near flawless dance. However, she was saved at the last minute when Mark Cuban was sent home instead. This week, however, Jane’s less that sterling jive should have landed her in the bottom two and did not.

Marie Osmond has also been on precarious ground the last couple of weeks. Her fainting spell last week had everyone speculating about everything from her health to drug or alcohol abuse. As it turns out, however, Osmond has a long history of such episodes, which have plagued her all her life.

The judges were not impressed, however, with Osmond’s paso doble. Bruno said she started off “like Catherine Zeta Jones” but ended up “like Catherine Zeta Grumpy.” This seemed like an odd comment considering the fact that the paso doble is basically a bullfight in dance; hardly the type of event someone would smile throughout. Still, Osmond’s performance could have ended her in the bottom two. It didn’t.

As I pointed out in my article last week “Is Dancing With The Stars Really A Dance Competition Or Just Another Popularity Contest?” generally the top two dancers manage to rise to the top before the end of the season. Clearly that isn’t going to happen this time around, with Bryant already out the door.

So what does that mean for the remainder of this year’s competition? I’d hate to venture a guess at this point. I think this year that anything is possible and, worse yet, very likely to happen.

If Jennie Garth can keep improving at the rate she did this week, I certainly wouldn’t count her out. The same can be said for Mathison who clearly doesn’t like losing at anything. Then, of course, you have racecar driver Helio Castroneves who easily glides through one lap and then falters on the next. If he can keep his momentum going without further faltering, he could easily give Mel B a run for her money for that coveted top spot.

I still don’t see either Seymour or Osmond winning the title, but then what do I know? I had Bryant pegged to walk away with that mirror ball trophy.

The message boards are full of speculation about what caused Bryant to get the boot. Some claim it was because she already had some dance experience coming into the show and that they felt she peaked early and then just tried to ride the wave without having to put forth a lot of additional effort.

Others say that she should not have admitted on camera that she didn’t rehearse as much as some of the others because of her own personal hectic schedule. Fans were quick to point out that many of the other stars also had equally busy schedules but manage to find time to rehearse as well.

A few felt that the judges had already proclaimed Bryant the winner by saying she didn’t have any flaws and was picture perfect. I honestly have no idea what the real reason was for Bryant’s ouster. I’m not at all sure that anyone really does. Clearly, the fans intend to be heard this year, one way or the other.

One thing is certain. None of the stars can afford any further missteps. The slightest mistake could cost them the competition. That extra stress may prove to be too much for some who are already perched perilously close to the edge. I guess we will just have to wait and see.